Chicago

13-16 October 2022

1,5 days home and it’s already time for another trip! This city has been on my bucket list for a long time! It’s time to cross Chicago off!!!

The weekend started already on Thursday afternoon and we were gonna be home on Sunday evening. We drove to the airport and flew to Chicago! And a real trip without some problems is of course not a trip… My friend forgot her passport (she still could make the flight even without a passport), we got a cancelled flight, running through the Las Vegas airport while calling the airlines to book a new connected flight to Chicago and more delays because of a system problem in the plane, but eventually we all made it to Chicago.

Our first day started early, 5am to be exact. We took the train to the center of Chicago from the airport. A really easy thing to do, I would definitely recommend taking the metro or train to move around Chicago. From the train station we walked around to get some breakfast, went to the hotel, watched the sunrise and waited for my other friends to arrive at the hotel as well. We had a hotel in the middle of the center of Chicago, what was great, we could really walk to everything!

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

As soon as we were all together we walked around and went to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, the biggest Starbucks Roastery in the US. It had 3 floors, fresh pastries and a big lunch menu. We had breakfast, again, and just sat inside for a while. I was kinda chilly outside, so it was nice to warm up a little inside. Chicago is called the Windy City, and yeah, we noticed that. Besides that the Roastery had many food and coffee options, the design from the inside was amazing as well!

DuSable Bridge

This place is I think my favorite place in the whole city. The DuSable Bridge is the bridge that goes over the Chicago River. There are many boat tours, there is a Riverwalk and the Trump Tour is there as well. Fun Fact: During St. Patricks day, the whole river is Green.

Cloud Gate

Cloud Gate is also known as The Bean, the famous bean of Chicago. I love this place, it was fully of people, of course, but nothing too crazy. We took many many pictures with and in the bean. The bean is located in Millennium Park, a fun place to also walk around. It’s a big park with an outside theater: Jay Pritzker Pavilion. There is also a pretty bridge that allows you to get to the other side of the road where the park continues. We were there in the fall and the trees had beautiful colors what you could also see in the reflection of The Bean. From the Cloud Gate you can see the skyscrapers too, what gives a beautiful view.

Crown Fountain

Another famous spot is the Crown Fountain. Unfortunately when we were there the fountain wasn’t on, but it was still cool to see. This fountain is not an ordinary fountain. There are 2 big screens, with faces projected on them. The faces on the screen change, so you probably will see different faces every time you pass it.

Navy Pier

The Navy Pier is a big pier with a indoor hall with different shops, food court and the Chicago Children’s Museum. Outside of the hall you can find a Ferris wheel, and some other attractions. Besides that you can see the skyline of Chicago and there are Elmore restaurants along the pier. It’s a nice place to walk around, get souvenirs, get some food and enjoy the view.

Sky Deck

On our last evening we went to the Sky Deck, on Willis Tower. We booked the ticked in advance to go up the tower during sunset. We got there around 5, got all the way on top of the building and enjoyed the view. In general I love to see the city from up high, it gives you such a different view and vibe then when you walk through it. We took many pictures, watched the sunset and hang out on top of the building. It was all inside, so nothing like the other ones I have been. There were glass cubes where you could stand in and take pictures or enjoy the view from up to down. I would really recommend going up on this tower to watch the city from above.

Deep dish pizza

When you go to Chicago you should definitely try the deep dish pizza. This is a Chicago icon and it’s so good!! We went to Giordano’s, one of the 2 most famous places to get your deep dish pizza. Be aware that the wait could be long, we waited for 45 min before getting seated.

Another famous thing to eat in Chicago is the Chicago hot dog. You can find this one in different places.

The Chicago theater

At North State St & South State St you will find many shops, restaurants and the Chicago Theater, the building with the Chicago sign. It’s a nice place to walk around, shop and get a drink or some food. During the day and at night there is lots to do.

That was my Chicago trip. Hope you like reading about it.

Doeiii - byee